9. Hachioji Thousand-Person Team
Here, 500 retainers of the Takeda clan from Kōshū and 500 local indigenous people have been arranged to form a village, cultivating the land for generations. The current village chief, who is also the leader of the Hachiōji Thousand-man Corps, is named Kondo Chōsaku
From Edo to Hachioji, it is a smooth journey of over seventy li, while the route from Hachioji to Kofu spans more than a hundred li, characterized by numerous mountains and valleys, with rugged roads. Rokuro and A-Lan's group set off early the next morning, and by the afternoon, they had circled around Jinma Mountain and began to enter the province of Kai.
The monk relaxed his hands and gently withdrew the wooden stick, placing it aside: "Without my father and the village of Hachiwakko, there would be no Isogawa Igarashi—what would you have me do, Father?"
"Your Highness wishes to expand the military?" Inai Ueno was taken aback, "I fear this may arouse the suspicion of the shogunate..."
Indeed, after receiving the report from Xixiang, the general readily agreed: "But where shall we go?"
While they were speaking, suddenly, around the bend of the mountain road, appeared a dozen or so gray-clad warriors, two of whom were on horseback, while the rest were on foot
A Lan stood beside Liu Lang, reacting swiftly. He raised his wooden stick to block the incoming blade: "My lord, please do not take action!" He noticed that the warrior's collar was adorned with a red torii family crest.
Ha," Liu Lang let out a dry laugh, "With thirty-five thousand stones in the valley, and fewer than eight hundred foot soldiers, most of whom are old, weak, or disabled, what can they possibly do?"
At this time, the feudal lord, Maeda Sakon Kanya, who is a nephew of Toshinaga, is quite renowned for his virtue. Aside from having somewhat eccentric hobbies, he can be considered the most respected feudal lord of the present day. The Maeda clan has always shown great respect towards the shogunate, neglecting military preparations and focusing solely on developing wasteland and improving the livelihood of the people—however, as chaos reignites, Kanya can no longer remain idle.
The monk nodded slightly, suddenly picked up a wooden stick, and struck down towards Changzuo. Changzuo quickly turned around, clasped his palms together, and firmly trapped the end of the stick against his shoulder. "Is this the 'Dizang Wang Po Mo Gun Fa'?" Changzuo nodded, "Hmm, quite powerful. It seems your martial arts have made significant progress."
As they spoke, the afterglow of the setting sun fell upon them, and they had already arrived at the Monkey Bridge. "I am quite familiar with this place," Liu Lang said to everyone, "If we walk another two miles or so, there is an inn—however, since we have too many people, most of us will probably have to sleep outdoors...
How is it that the general intends to abandon Edo and proceed to Kofu
It was proposed by Itakura Masayasu, the magistrate of Edo, to express opposition: "In this critical moment of survival, how can the Shogun possibly leave Edo?"
Xixiang took a break and continued, "Still... let's hear the opinion of the lord himself."
Is it Alan? Long has been greatly pleased, have you already set out on your journey?
Haha, the eight hundred foot soldiers of the Gucun clan have been quietly dealt with by us, haven't they? How is it that the strategist Hino, who traverses the Eastern Mountain Path, has suddenly become timid—Your Highness entrusted the area around Saruhashi to us, which is a testament to your confidence in our wisdom and martial prowess. " He patted his companion's shoulder: "Rest assured, rest assured, at most we will quickly incorporate the soldiers of the Gucun clan.
Faced with such strange arguments, everyone is left scratching their heads
"For many years, I have been loyal and respectful to the shogunate, not daring to deviate even slightly from the path of a subject," Jia stood up and said, "However, with the outbreak of war, first, the Matsudaira clan was granted 60,000 koku in Echū, and then the Matsudaira Tomon was granted 30,000 koku in the eastern part of Wakasa. Along with the existing Matsudaira in Echizen, Katsuyama, and Fukui, and Honda in Marugame, all of them are close vassals and hereditary retainers, like two iron pincers firmly gripping us..."
"That's not quite right," after walking a short distance, Alan finally stopped. "We never mentioned that we are the Thousand-Man Team of the Eighth Prince, and we are complete strangers. How can such an important letter be entrusted to us like this?" Liu Lang replied with a smile, "Father has sent a message to the valley village by carrier pigeon." "To protect the general to Kofu, such an important matter, and yet without any inquiry, they just assume we are the Thousand-Man Team?" Alan still had doubts, "You all go back to the village first, and I will investigate further." "You all go back to the village first, and I will investigate further."
Lord Maeda, having traveled a long distance from Singapore to report in, certainly deserves special attention and will be the first to make an appearance. Lord Nobunaga registered earliest, as a token of gratitude. Mr. Hino is a friend I met at the library, and he, along with Mr. Takeda, sincerely aligns with the Red Army family; their early appearance is a reward, haha. To the other friends, please remain calm; there will be a day for each of you to shine (and also a day for death, so be aware)
Yes
Inana Ueno bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, you must not harbor resentment towards the general— the Maeda family has relied entirely on their loyalty to the general to become the largest domain in Japan"
"Very well," Liu Lang nodded, "be cautious in all matters"
Inana Ueno nodded, "Your Highness is correct."
After the Battle of Kōfutai, Yoshitaka Murakami took advantage of the situation and advanced directly, while Jirō Asō's forces collapsed like a landslide, with only over 600 men managing to escape back to Edo
Liulang and the others quickly bowed. Juro, however, did not dismount, merely nodding slightly as he took out a letter from his bosom: "This is a letter from my lord to the general, containing significant confidential information. Please take it back to Hachioji and personally deliver it to the general when he arrives." Liulang received the letter: "Excellent, then we shall rely on you for the journey ahead. We will return first..."
The so-called Hachioji Thousand-Man Team was a strategic move devised by the divine lord Ieyasu Tokugawa, based on the suggestion of Nagatake Okubo, to ensure that in the event of turmoil in the realm, future shoguns could safely escape to Kofu. This formidable piece was ambushed in the Tama District of Musashi Province.
The total number of soldiers is approximately 9,000, with 400 warhorses, 100 cannons, and one large artillery piece
Zhang nodded slightly: "Although you are not a member of the Thousand-Man Team, you are without father or mother, and I brought you back from the pile of corpses, just like my son, and the brother of Liu Lang. Now that you have returned, you must also take on a share of this responsibility"
Thus, while he was listening to the report from the inspection team, he suddenly sighed: "No matter how much land there is, without a capable army, one will gradually find it difficult to stand firm..."
"Father, long time no see, how have you been?" Standing behind Chang Kang was a young cultivator, wearing prayer beads around his neck and holding a wooden staff that reached his shoulder.
A-Lan nodded and asked again, "Are you referring to Shanshan and Quanxian Mountain? Does Lord Torii of Gu Village not take any action?"
Chang has already surpassed sixty years of age, yet he still works in the fields every day, maintaining good health and exceptional skills. Upon receiving a letter sent by carrier pigeon from Edo, he fell into deep contemplation
"You arrived just in time," Liu Lang Chang Kang said with a smile, "the Eight Princes' Thousand-Man Team is about to mobilize"
Qingshan Yuhui sheathed his long sword and laughed heartily, "The Hachioji Thousand-Man Team is indeed formidable. Is this the Ksitigarbha's Breaking Staff Technique?—I have come here under the orders of my lord to eliminate the mountain bandits in the Shanshan area and to clear the path for the general. You all have come with the same purpose, I presume, so there is no need to proceed further; leave the matters ahead to us."
The individuals mentioned in this article are Lord Taida Yoshiyasu (Maeda Keiji), Hasegawa Igarashi (Oda Nobunaga), Takeda Nobutaka, and Hino Muko. Takeda-kun, it was agreed that after conquering Kai, you would inherit the Takeda family, so for now, could you please adopt another surname?
As the thousand-man team walked away, Qing Shan Youbingwei supported his waist with a long knife and said to his companion, "That guy's Ksitigarbha Demon-Subduing Staff is quite formidable; he's not easy to deal with." Biesuo Shilang laughed and replied, "In battle, one must rely on military strategy. No matter how strong an individual's martial skills are, what use is it? Let's hurry back to Yuanqiao and make proper arrangements for the arrival of the general."
Ueno, what is the current strength of the troops within the territory?
Alright, rest well tonight. Tomorrow morning, you and Liu Lang will take fifty men to Jiafu first. I have heard that the roads have not been safe lately, with mountain bandits appearing. You must ensure their eradication to guarantee the smoothness of the roads. I will personally go to receive the general.
"Right, Aoyama Uhei, stop joking around," another mounted warrior rode over, grasping his companion's wrist, then turned to Aran: "You are from the Hachioji Thousand-Man Team sent to scout, correct? I am Jiro Beso, a subordinate of Lord Ukyō Torii from the Satagaya Village domain, and this is Aoyama Uhei."
The elder of Saikō sighed and said, "What you all say is indeed true; how could I not understand the reasoning behind it? However, as subjects, our foremost consideration must be the safety of our sovereign. With the sovereign in the precarious situation of Edo Castle, we are more concerned with protection than anything else, and we have no time to think about fortifying the city or other matters..."
Everyone looked at each other in silence. If the divine lord were to be reborn, he would surely share the fate of the city. Yet, even the late Lord Hidetada could not guarantee that he would live or die alongside his subordinates, let alone the current Shogun Yoshimune.
"There is no other way; survival is the top priority," Jia said, shaking his head. "Of course, it would be best if the numbers remained unchanged while enhancing training and upgrading equipment—however, there are no military talents within the domain, and foreign trade is monopolized by the anti-shogunate faction. Besides conscription, what other better options do we have?"
A group of people, who are they?! Suddenly, a mounted warrior drew his long sword and charged forward, aiming to strike down Liu Lang's neck with a single blow
The largest feudal lord in all of Japan is undoubtedly Maeda Toshiie, who resided in Kanazawa, Kaga, with a domain of 1.2 million koku. In the fifth year of Keicho, during the Battle of Sekigahara, among the four regents and their successors, only Maeda Toshiie stood with Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Army. After the battle, he was granted an additional 200,000 koku in Etchu and Noto, causing his power to swell to an alarming degree. The second shogun, Hidetada, made several attempts to divide this extensive domain spanning Kaga, Noto, and Etchu, intending to distribute it among Toshiie's various descendants. However, the Maeda clan maintained a strict single heir system, leading to executions and releases, which rendered the shogunate powerless to intervene. The second shogun, Hidetada, made several attempts to divide this extensive domain spanning Kaga, Noto, and Etchu, intending to distribute it among Toshiie's various descendants. However, the Maeda clan maintained a strict single heir system, leading to executions and releases, which rendered the shogunate powerless to intervene.
A Lan asked Liu Lang: "Which area has bandits? Has your father mentioned it to you?"
Jia Ye smiled wryly: "With so little... based on the calculation of 250 soldiers for every 10,000 koku, we should have at least 25,000 troops. Yet, Uesugi with 300,000 koku has nearly double the number of soldiers compared to me! The Matsudaira clan in Echū has over 2,000 troops, the combined forces of the allied clans in Echizen and Wakasa total 13,000, and Kanemori in Hida Takayama also has 2,000. If any changes occur, how can we defend ourselves?"
The chief retainer, Inai Ueno, set down the report in his hand: "His Highness means ... ... "
The two debated at the horse's head, and Bie Suo Shilang said: "Xin Long, although it is a surprise attack, the disparity in troop strength is still risky. You think the general should at least bring four to five hundred guards from Edo, plus a thousand men... we only have over three hundred..."
The minister recommended the Takeda family, and upon seeing that the situation was already beyond redemption, Okubo Masanari had no choice but to go with the flow. "When my late father was alive, he once suggested to the divine ruler to station a lookout in the Musashi-Tama area as a precaution..."
Are you referring to the Hachioji Thousand-Person Team
Father, look who has returned!" Suddenly, his son, Kondo Rokuro Nagayasu, pushed the door open.
This is a placeholder text.
Liulang replied: "How about the area around Fan Mountain and Quanxian Mountain in the northwest? I was just thinking of discussing this with you. It should be getting close to dusk at Yuanqiao. Why not rest for the night and head up the mountain to investigate early tomorrow morning? What do you think?"
A Lan furrowed her brows, sensing that something was amiss, but Liu Lang had already raised his hand: "Let’s hurry back; we can reach Sifangjin before dark and won’t have to sleep outdoors." The crowd cheered.
"For the time being, the only strategy is to defend Edo and await reinforcements," the elder Saigo Takamori summoned the various high-ranking officials to discuss, "and Your Excellency the Shogun should quickly leave this perilous situation and head to Kofu or Shimizu."
There are two places, Kofu or Shunfu
Alright, I will write another letter of allegiance for you to deliver to the general. However, the conscription within the fief must also commence... It can start slowly, but we can no longer afford to wait!
Old Zhong, Okubo Masanari nodded: "If the general leaves Edo, the morale within the city will inevitably decline, making it difficult to withstand the attacks from the Uesugi army. If Edo is lost, the situation in the realm will be beyond our control"
The monk entered, set down his wooden staff, and clasped his hands in greeting: "The master said that true cultivation occurs in the secular world, not in the deep mountains. He mentioned that my 'six senses' have already been established, and next, I should travel across the country to pay homage to various temples and monasteries, broadening my knowledge and experiences..."
Inaba Ueno bowed his head again and said: "Your Highness, please remain calm. I am willing to go to Edo to demonstrate Your Highness's loyalty to the shogun, and then seek suitable military talents to serve our domain."
I understand, I do not harbor resentment. Jia walked to the corner of the room and gently brushed the most beloved Nanban vase. It is just that... First, if I cannot achieve merit in the Battle of the Shield, there will be no place for me to survive after the war; secondly, if the general is swayed by slander and attacks Kanazawa, I must also be prepared for defense—should I just sit idly by?